What’s Your Nutritional Philosophy?

Health cannot be obtained solely by pharmaceuticals, nor can medications fix the root cause of your disease. It’s important for you to develop a nutritional philosophy, both from the standpoint of disease prevention and in order to support your healing mechanisms if you are suffering from illness.

Let’s get started with changing your diet so as to activate your body’s healing processes, without any negative side effects.

Eat “Whole” Foods

Whole foods (i.e unprocessed and not refined) are as close to their natural form as possible. A diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts will help to support healing as well as reduce the risk of developing chronic disease. Whole foods contain high levels of antioxidants, phytoestrogens, bioflavonoids and fiber as well as a natural balance of vitamins and minerals to promote healthier aging and an overall feeling of energy and wellness. At the same time, eliminate refined foods including white flour, white bread and white rice. And most of all, fried foods, no matter how tempting, should be given a wide berth. If you’ve been a slave to French fries, wean yourself off them by substituting sweet potato fries, and then only once a week. When mixed with doses of sugary sodas, highly processed foods and drinks usually result in sluggishness, poor digestion and contribute little to no nutrition.

Try Raw Foods

The more whole and fresh your foods are, the more life force they have to them (live enzymes) which will help to support healing. Aim to eat raw at least 50% of each day. (If you reach 70%, you must decide if you want to be vegan or not!) And when you do cook vegetables, steaming is much better than boiling, because the veggie will keep more of its nutrients, and taste better as well.

The ‘Ugh’ Factor

Get over any disgust or misgivings when you hear (if you haven’t already) about an excellent source of protein, fiber and mineral content that’s been used for thousands of years: insects. Our six legged friends are munched on regularly by a quarter of the earth’s people, with beetles and caterpillars leading the list. One critter that’s starting to make inroads into Western diets is the cricket. It’s obviously more appetizing in its granular or paste form, so you don’t have to worry about crunching and munching. Made into protein bars, crickets are a terrific source of low fat protein.

Shape Up On Sugar Use

Sugar will eventually overtax your immune system, gut and adrenal glands. Keep sugar levels down to no more than about 25-30 grams per day, which equates to no more than eight teaspoons. That’s a tall order if you have a regular Coke at 60 grams, or a fig bar at 30. The ambitious 30 gram guideline is from a World Health Organization (WHO) study from 2013, where it’s recommended sugar consumption be kept to 5% of daily calories, and that’s for an adult with a normal body mass index. Get familiar with how to read sugar amounts on food labeling, and learn to identify “added” sugars that go under different names on labels. Fruit juice concentrates, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose are examples of added sugars to be avoided, especially if they are at the top of the ingredient list, which means there’s more of it by weight in the product.

Eat Healthy Fats

Healthy fats are a vital part of the membrane that surrounds each cell in your body. Consuming them gives you feelings of satiety, control with cravings and help to regulate the production of your sex hormones. Bad fats are typically refined vegetable oils such as soy, peanut, corn, sunflower and canola. These oils are higher in omega-6 (versus the anti-inflammatory omega-3) and are also highly susceptible to oxidation (they are not stable), which make them damaging and inflammatory to your body.

By making the effort to accommodate any of these diet adjustments, you are on the way to having a sound, hard-to-beat nutritional philosophy.

For more nutrition tips and to learn how to prevent disease with food follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Sandy Cardy, CPA, CA, CFP

As a leading authority on tax and estate planning, for many years Sandy helped individuals grow their net worth. But after her own battle with cancer and subsequent full recovery, she immersed herself in researching how to protect your health, as well as your wealth. Today, she shares her practical and inspiring knowledge of how to build a lasting legacy, in all senses of the word.